


Unnecessary

by BunniesofDoom



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Caretaking, F/F, Fever, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Sick Character, Sickfic, Volume 7 (RWBY), as a treat, healthy communication is my kink, the girls can have a little communication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:40:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28800723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunniesofDoom/pseuds/BunniesofDoom
Summary: When she's not being the leader, what is she supposed to be?
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose & Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 2
Kudos: 61





	Unnecessary

**Author's Note:**

> Look out y'all, I'm back on my bullshit. This is set sometime during the early part of volume 7. Enjoy!

"This sucks," Ruby complains.

"Sucky or not, you need to stay here for at least the next two days," Blake says with a shrug. "General's orders."

"That's completely unnecessary," Ruby protests. "I told you guys I was fine, just tired."

"That might be more convincing if you hadn't fainted at breakfast," Weiss points out, raising an eyebrow. "Honestly, Ruby, you kind of brought this on yourself. You know what happens when you keep pushing your semblance too far before you're ready."

"I didn't faint, I just got dizzy for a moment," Ruby mumbles. "And we're supposed to be training as hard as we can."

"Not so hard that you literally run yourself into the ground," Yang counters, stretching her arms over her head lazily. "Anyway, sis, since you're going to be stuck here for a while, just text one of us if you need anything."

"Do you want one of us to stay with you?" offers Blake.

Ruby shakes her head with a scowl at the reminder that she's not allowed to leave. "No," she grumbles under her breath, swallowing past the sudden lump in her throat. The thought of taking unnecessary time off to rest, instead of continuing to push forwards like she's supposed to, is scary.

Who is she when she's not encouraging the others to push on? When she's not being the leader, what is she supposed to be?

"Well, we'll leave you to it." Yang's voice jolts Ruby out of her thoughts. She nods shortly in response, still pouting slightly at being left behind. The door clicks shut behind her team, leaving Ruby in silence. Heaving a sigh, she pulls her pillow over her head and does her best to clear her mind.

If she's asleep, she can't dwell on being stuck in the dorms. Plus, two days will pass a lot more quickly if she sleeps the whole time, right?

She hadn't been lying about being tired earlier, but despite how exhausted she feels, Ruby has a hard time falling asleep. After much frustration and tossing and turning for what feels like hours to try find a comfortable position for her aching body, she eventually falls into a shallow doze.

But she doesn't stay asleep for long. Apparently, it's too much to ask to even be able to take a short nap without nightmares. Ruby wakes up covered in sweat, gasping for air and heart pounding. Scowling, she kicks off the blankets and tries to regulate her breathing. Finally, her body takes the hint that she's not in any danger, and she heaves a long sigh that's immediately followed by a fit of coughing.

Being sick sucks.

She turns her head slowly to look at the clock, mindful of the pounding headache behind her eyes, and sighs again when she sees that it's been less than two hours since teammates left. Two days is starting to feel like an eternity.

"Oh good, you're awake."

Ruby whips her head around at the sound of her sister's voice, wincing when her head throbs in protest. "Yang? What are you doing here?" she asks hoarsely, shivering.

"We figured that we should have someone come and check on you, make sure that you weren't getting into trouble on your own." Yang pulls the covers up to Ruby's chin before pressing a hand to her sister's forehead and frowning. "That's some fever you've got, sis."

"Yeah." Ruby's really not sure what to say in response to that. "Don't you have other stuff that you need to be doing?"

"Nothing's more important to me than making sure that you're alright, Ruby," Yang replies, suddenly serious. "Besides, we haven't exactly spent a lot of time together lately, one-on-one. I figure now's a good time as any."

"Quality time," Ruby says dryly, before sighing. "We've all been busy lately. I understand if you—"

But Yang cuts her off. "Listen Ruby, I want you to get this through your head. Just because I've got a girlfriend now, that doesn't mean that I'm not going to spend time with you. I am never going to be too busy for you, got it?"

"Got it." Ruby nods. "So, Blake really is your girlfriend now?"

"Yep!" Yang smiles brightly. "I'm truly the luckiest girl in Atlas. Maybe in all of Remnant, but I don't want to brag too much."

Ruby giggles a little. "I'm happy for you two."

"Thanks." Yang runs a hand through her hair, plopping herself down on the bed next to Ruby. "But enough about me. What's up with you?"

"Me?" Ruby blinks in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Yang snorts impatiently. "C'mon, don't play games with me. I know that you're stressed about keeping secrets from Ironwood, and you've been training so hard it's ridiculous, even for you. So, out with it."

Ruby sighs and scrambles to sit up, scrubbing a hand across her face. If they're going to have this conversation, she doesn't want to be lying down for it. "I know that you don't like lying to Ironwood, and I really don't like it either, but—" She chews on her lip. "Remember how we all reacted when Jinn told us? The situation in Atlas is bad enough already. I don't want to make things worse. We will tell him eventually, just not yet."

"I understand that, and as much as I don't like it, I'm going to trust your judgement."

"Thank you, Yang."

"I've always got your back, sis. Remember that," Yang reassures her. "Now, what's up with your crazy training schedule lately? We've all been worried about how hard you've been pushing yourself."

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about what Harriet said," Ruby admits. "About my semblance, and how there's probably more to it. And honestly, I don't know what to do if I'm not constantly busy. I've been forcing myself to keep moving forward since what happened at Beacon, and at this point I'm not sure what to do with myself if I stop."

"I think that's a sign that you need to take a break for a bit, to let whatever it is that you've been running from finally catch up to you." Yang must feel Ruby tense up beside her, because she sighs before continuing. "I don't mean right now, while you're sick and out of it. But when you're better, you need to stop running, turn around, and face your fears. It won't be pretty, but that's okay. We'll all be here for you."

Ruby doesn't remember crying, but her cheeks feel damp when she brings a hand up to rub at her face. "Okay," she sniffles, blinking slowly. "Yang? I'm really tired."

Her sister chuckles softly, running a gentle hand through Ruby's hair and brushing it away from her face. "I bet," she says softly. "Why don't you try to get some sleep?"

Ruby bobs her head in the slightest of nods and curls closer to her sister's warmth. This time, her sleep is peaceful and dreamless. Yang has always been enough to keep the nightmares away.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please comment and leave kudos if you liked it.


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